Dinner guests

Posted on February 8, 2012 by Mandy

As we think about the next stage of our lives – buying a house – I do sometimes get a little weepy about saying goodbye to my way-too-tiny kitchen and entertaining area.

By “entertaining area,” I mean there are three feet of space you can hang out in without being in our living room. Our tiny one-bedroom, loft-style condo will always be close to our hearts. One of the things, though, that I wish we’d have done different, or known sooner, is that no one really cares if it’s small and you need new carpeting. They just care about the company, and the drinks and the food. That’s what people are suppose to care about when they are the dinner guests.

And so, with a light at the end of the tunnel (hopefully) in terms of owning this place, we’re having one of my very bestest friends for dinner on Saturday. In fact, we’re making an active effort to have more people for dinner this year (resolution addition?) in an effort to make as many last-minute memories in the condo as possible.

So, BFF Krista is coming on Saturday! Kritta and I have, in fact, lived in three separate apartments together, so the two of us know what it’s like to live in a much-too-small space. We met in a college class and almost immediately declared we’d get an apartment together. Now, we’re those kind of friends who know each other inside and out though we hardly ever talk. Funny thing, I’ve never even made a formal meal for the girl.

I started building a menu for the event on the morning of her birthday earlier this month. I even felt a bit nervous about what to make. But I do think it’ll be delicious and wonderful. And if not, we’ll have plenty of booze.

As to not give away the details completely, I won’t reveal the menu just yet. But I will tease: TWO kinds of homemade pasta (look at me go!). Jeff is even making one of his ripped-off-from-Alton-Brown-specialties.

Countdown to the weekend: ON.

Categories: BFFs, Friends, He cooks, Meal planning | Leave a comment

Homemade pasta

Posted on January 28, 2012 by Mandy

First truth in pasta-making: It’s not hard. At all.

Last night, with chilled beers ready and a live-stream concert by our favorite band blasting throughout the condo, we busted out the new pasta maker we got for Christmas.

It’s an attachment for our Kitchen Aid mixer and, from a girl who knows nothing about pasta-making, it worked awesome.

Essentially, there is a ratio for the pasta dough. And if you follow it, I think it’s pretty hard to mess up. It goes like this:

  • Two eggs per one cup of flour.
  • One egg per person.

Easy? Right.

The smart chefs of the world will tell you to crack the eggs into a well of flour. So we did.

I added a little salt. In the future, I don’t think I’ll be afraid to try other things, like spinach or curry, or really anything.

Next, combine the eggs and flour with your hands (it’s kind of messy at first) to form the pasta dough.

At first I freaked out because I didn’t think it was coming together. It just seemed like a flour mess with sticky fingers. But eventually, it was clearly a dough. I kneaded ours for awhile – probably 5 to 7 minutes – until it looked the consistency of photos in cookbooks and online (really, this is how I cook). I also kept a recipe from the Pioneer Woman’s website handy. Jeff thinks we could have started running it through the pasta maker sooner than we did, however.

kitchen aid mixer, pasta dough

Then, you start running it through. I’m sure your pasta maker will come with directions. Ours had us do a combination of adjusting the setting and the wideness of the rolling bars in the pasta maker and folding the dough and feeding it through. This process took about 10 minutes total and had us feed the dough through the machine 10 to 15 or so times.We just kept feeding it until it seemed like an appropriate pasta thickness.

(As you can see, I have a sous chef. And a cute husband!)

Then, you switch the attachment to one that cuts noodles. Ours came with spaghetti and fettuccine-sized cutters. We selected the fettuccine attachment because I liked the idea of a flat noodle. Then, the fun part: Run the dough through.

(Sous chef not so good with the camera.)

Next up: Cooking it. Be very careful not to over-cook it, I read on the Internets. Also, make sure to salt your water. We boiled ours for exactly two minutes.

And then, you eat. Immediately, you’ll be happy you made it from scratch.

 

Categories: Family, Foodies, Gadgets, In love, Made it, Picture perfect, Product review | Leave a comment

A night with…Giada (!)

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Mandy

For years, my husband has oogled over Giada DeLaurentiis.

And so, our upcoming trip to the Riverside Theater in Milwaukee to see a Food Network celebrity will be just as much fun for him as it will be for me. Not that seeing Alton Brown wasn’t also fun for both. (BTW, thanks to Next Chapter Books for bringing the stars to Milwaukee!) Anyway, Jeff bought us tickets to the Giada event, which is in April, and I already cannot wait.

It works the same as Alton’s appearance did. Select dinner at one of two restaurants, get a meal cooked from the star’s newest cookbook, attend the show, leave with a signed cookbook.

Before we head to the show, we’ll have dinner at Bacchus.

Categories: Around town, Food Network, Foodies, In love, Just talkin', Out to eat | 1 Comment

Roasted Garlic Lemon Broccoli

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Mandy

As the entire world knows, I’ve been hooked on roasted cauliflower for quite some time now.

Who knows why I never tried roasting broccoli. Duh.

Roasted Garlic Lemon Broccoli

What you’ll need:
1 head broccoli (or as much as you’d like), separated into florets
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Toss broccoli florets with the extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, pepper and garlic. Spread the broccoli out in an even layer on a baking sheet. Squeeze on a little lemon.

Bake in the preheated oven until florets are tender and a little brown , 20 to 25 minutes. I flipped half way through. Squeeze on a little more lemon before serving.

Categories: Dang veggies, Made it | 1 Comment

Inter Tapas (Neenah)

Posted on January 22, 2012 by Mandy

One of the things I like about living in the Fox Cities is the sense of familiarity. Even at a new restaurant.

Last night, we headed to dinner at the recently-opened Inter Tapas in Neenah. It’s located just across the street from the library and run by Cy, who is also the brains and hands behind Cy’s Asian Bistro, which is just a few blocks up.

Upon walking in to the place, which features a large bar with a sushi bar on one end, Cy was shaking hands with Jeff. Familiar. We sat at a high-top table and talked through the menu. In our family, I’m the sushi lover. Jeff doesn’t dislike it by any means, but he usually doesn’t go out of his way to order it, either. We did anticipate a larger menu, maybe one that extended beyond sushi, but in the end we both were not let down that it didn’t.

We ordered edamame ($3), shrimp spring rolls ($4) and two sushi rolls. My go-to sushi roll: Spicy Tuna ($8). Yum, yum, yum. The roll didn’t let down at Inter Tapas. Win. And then we also ordered a tempura shrimp, avocado, crispy crab, unagi sauce, spicy mayo something or other ($14). It was fantastic. (Jeff wants you to know that this is his phone photo. Marriage. Pft!)

I love the you-pick, I-pick of tapas places. I also love how date-style it makes the evening feel, sharing food off of plates and all of that. Plus, wasabi is my friend. Mixed with soy sauce I could practically drink it.

Instead, we each had a beer. The menu included everything from things you’d expect like Kirin to the spreading-to-all-places-Wisconsin New Belgium products on tap ($4.50 each). There was wine, too.

All in all, I guess I’m happy to have good sushi in Neenah, because that means it’s closer to Oshkosh than going to Appleton. Oshkosh has a sushi restaurant on the horizon – Manila (in the old Water City Grill, gosh do I miss Water City) – and I just hope it’s awesome, too. I am up for eating sushi frequently. I love the idea of something quick, healthy and international very close by. Inter Tapas hit the mark – it was good, fresh, fulfilling. We’ll go back.

 

Categories: Around town, Beer here, Family, Foodies, In love, Just talkin', Restaurant review | Leave a comment

Honey Soy Baked Salmon

Posted on January 17, 2012 by Mandy

I don’t think I always enjoyed salmon as much as I do these days. For real, I could eat it several times a week and never get sick of it.

However, I feel like I was kind of stuck in a rut as far as indoor recipes for salmon go. So, I hit Google. Stumbled upon this Food Network recipe and, as always, adapted based on what we had in the house.

What you’ll need:
A few pinches of dried cilantro
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 teaspoon ginger powder
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Salmon
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons honey
1/4 teaspoons black sesame seed

Combine cilantro and scallion and mix in the oil and ginger. Season with salt and pepper.

Cut two 3-inch long slits through the salmon fillets (I just did it along the top), going about halfway into the salmon. Evenly stuff the slits with the herb mixture. Season the fish with salt and pepper.

Stir together the lime juice, soy and honey until smooth.

Position an oven rack so that a baking sheet set on the rack is about 4-inches below the heat source. Preheat the broiler. Place the skin size down on a foil lined baking sheet coated with cooking spray.  Broil basting 3 to 4 times with the sauce, until just cooked through, about 6 to 7 minutes. Sprinkle with sesame seeds before serving.

Our salmon was more like a slab than a fillet so it took a little longer to cook. The sauce sort of caramelized as it cooked. It was a little sweet and a little salty and very delicious. This dish was very easy to cook and was quite flavorful. I’ll keep this on the go-to list.

Categories: Cheap, Food Network, Made it | 1 Comment

Birthday Boy dinner

Posted on January 7, 2012 by Mandy

One of my biggest goals in wifehood (is that a real thing?) is to become the better gift giver.

Yeah, it’s a competition. Historically, one I’ve always lost, which is why there’s been need for change. Or shall I say, which is why I have consciously changed things around here. I did well my first Christmas as a wife, but I knew I’d have to step it up for my (new!) husband’s January 9 birthday.

I had heard about a little place just outside Green Bay, Wisconsin with to-die-for dinner options and a chef’s table. So, I made a reservation at Chives, 1749 Riverside Drive, Suamaco, which is rumored to be Aaron Rodgers’ favorite dinner place when he’s in town. Legend has it, the chef’s table was created just for him.

The cost of the table – for 2 or for 12 – is $65 per person (plus a bottle of wine, in our case, duh) and is worth every penny.

When we arrived, the chef, JR, came over to tell us how the evening would go. He’d just cook us a bunch of stuff, he said. And we’d eat. I. AM. IN.

First course: Fried Oysters with Vegetable Slaw and Remoulade (menu price $18). Sadly, I was so excited for the food to start coming that I forgot to snap a photo of the first course. I know, right? Anyway, I don’t think I’ve ever tried an oyster before because I think I though you had to slurp them out of a shell and I was never really interested. However, the dish wasn’t like what I had in my head about oysters. These were perfectly breaded and cooked, not fishy or slimy at all and had a great flavor. I liked how the zing from the slaw balanced the dish.

Second course: Grilled Asparagus with Miso Butter, Bacon and Poached Egg (menu price $10). I have always, always been an asparagus fan, so I was really excited when I caught a glimpse of this dish being prepared. This was amazing, one of my favorite courses, even. I was worried about Jeff on this one because he can be a little weird with runny eggs, but he too loved the dish.

Third course: We didn’t find this course on the regular menu. It was a porchini mushroom sauce over fresh wide noodle pasta topped with truffle oil and foie gras shavings. Jeff hates mushrooms, and always has, with all of his being. It’s the one food he won’t eat. He, with all of his being, loved this dish. Several times he called it, “earthy,” and he was right.

Fourth course: French Style Flounder with Artichoke and Pico (a similar menu item was priced at $32). I’ll always order the fish dish, so I was glad when this was placed in front of me. JR said the fish is breaded opposite from what you would expect. Flour, then egg, he said.The photo expresses my excitement over the fish; I almost forgot to take a photo!

Fifth course: The meat course. JR and his crew (which, by the way is totally a well-oiled machine. The kitchen is quiet, well traveled around and through, cordial. Our waiter told us that many of them have worked at Chivers for five plus years, and they really are a family.) prepared us a cracked pepper tenderloin with a brandy sauce. It was served with home fries and green beans. The steak was cooked more rare than I would have ever prepared a steak for myself. However, it was tender, not bloody and flavorful. I loved it.

Dessert course: It was our lucky day (or perhaps the fact we had Birthday Boy in the house). We were served two desserts!

One of the desserts was a pana cotta with a bourbon sauce. I liked it. It was smooth and sweet. However, the Smores Creme Brule stole the show for me. It was, hands down, my favorite part of the meal. This is very surprising because I am never the dessert person. The marshmallow and graham crackers were even home made.

Everything was so great that we’d love to try Chives again. We’d like to go back and eat dinner off of their regular menu sometime.

JR was an all-around nice guy, sharing tidbits about the dishes and stories with us. I think the interaction was a really nice touch for a special evening like Jeff’s birthday. At the end of our meal, I asked him if he’d take a photo with us.

Side note, cool thing: JR and his wife run a fantastic nonprofit called Seven Loaves Project. During our dinner, he brought over his iPad so we could learn a little more about the project, which essentially builds bakeries so people in Africa have something to eat.

The experience was great, the food was amazing, the setting was cool and I think I might even win the best gift award. The Birthday Boy has been talkin’ about dinner since we left. Love it.

(Happy (early) Birthday, Jeff. I love you!)

Categories: Around town, Cha Ching, Foodies, In love, Just talkin', Out to eat | Leave a comment